Waiver Wire Week 5

Another Sunday has come to a close. And while owners are anticipating a win or a loss after Monday Night Football, lets take a look at those players who are worthy of getting picked up off the Waiver Wire for Week 5.

As the weeks go on, this list will find itself radically changing, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Coaches will continue to search for those hidden gems on their roster, while us owners continue our search for that next big fantasy football option who can be the missing piece to our current rosters. Keep in mind that some of these players must absolutely be grabbed in all league formats, while others are either better off being picked up in deeper leagues or left on the wire for another week.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK BACK AS MORE NAMES ARE ADDED!

QUARTERBACKS

Teddy Bridgewater - Minnesota (Yahoo Owned 13%/ESPN Owned 10%)

Owners will be hopping on the Bridgewater bandwagon after his 317 yard passing outing against the Falcons, but keep in mind Atlanta fields one of the worst defenses in the league. Still, Bridgewater looked comfortable in the pocket and got rid of the ball fast, something Matt Cassel had a hard time doing in 2014. Bridgewater also showed athleticism on the ground, running 5 times for 27 yards and a touchdown. Bridgewater did get knocked out of the fourth quarter with, what is assumed to be, a left ankle sprain. For now, it doesn't appear to be serious. Pick Bridgewater up if you are in desperation mode at your QB2 spot, but can afford to sit on him. With the Vikings playing on a short week against the Packers Thursday night, it will be a race to get Bridgewater ready.

Mike Glennon - Tampa Bay (Yahoo Owned 4%/ESPN Owned .3%)

I watched the Bucs game against the Steelers. If the coaching staff didn't believe in Glennon then, they should now after he led Tampa to a come-from-behind win with just 7 seconds left on the clock. He still missed a lot of throws, averaging only 50% accuracy on the day, but it was still a glimmer of hope after Josh McCown failed to live up to the hype this season. Glennon now has his first 300-yard game on the year and 3 touchdowns to 1 pick through 2 games. Despite facing the Saints in Week 5, a team who gave up 3 touchdowns to Tony Romo Sunday night, Glennon is still better off in two-quarterback leagues.

Blake Bortles - Jacksonville (Yahoo Owned 18%/ESPN Owned 4.8%)

Bortles is the most talented of all the quarterbacks on this week's waiver list, but the lack of a true running game and a terrible offensive line is going to be a hindrance all year. In the loss to the Chargers, Bortles passed for 253 yards, a score and a pick, while adding another 24 yards on the ground. Bortles is another quarterback who is better off in leagues that allow the quarterback position in the flex spot, but his arrow is now pointing up as he continues to progress as the Jags' starter.

RUNNING BACKS

Matt Asiata - Minnesota (Yahoo Owned 64%/ESPN Owned 68.3%)

I figured I would add Asiata's name to the waiver pool again since his owned percentage is still very low for a starter. Even with Jerick McKinnon more involved in the game plan against the Falcons, Asiata ran for 3 scores, 78 yards and added 3 receptions. Like I wrote above in regards to Bridgewater, this was the Falcons defense. But with Asiata, you know you are going to have a starter for the time being with Adrian Peterson's future still in a huge state of flux. Consider Asiata an RB2 Thursday night against the Packers, but remember that much of his value is dependent on scores.

Jerick McKinnon - Minnesota (Yahoo Owned 15%/ESPN Owned .8%)

McKinnon's athletic ability was the complete opposite of Asiata's lumbering style. He broke off a 55-yard run while avoiding tacklers and almost scored his first touchdown on the season, but was ruled down at the one-yard line. McKinnon finished the day with just 18 carries for 135 yards. There's no reason to think the Vikings won't continue to use McKinnon in various situations. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see him surpass Asiata in touches. He's too good and fast to keep off the field. McKinnon is my MUST-GRAB player of the week, who could wind up climbing the running back rankings over the next several weeks. The team needs to see if he could be the future of the franchise.

Justin Forsett - Baltimore (Yahoo Owned 40%/ESPN Owned 9.1%)

Bernard Pierce owners are going to have to come to grips that he is not going to be the answer to the Ravens' backfield problems, even if they say they held him out Week 4 as a "precautionary measure." Forsett has easily been the team's best running back through the first 4 weeks, rushing 44 times for 258 yards (an average of 5.8 yards a carry). He's also shown the most receiving skills, tallying 16 catches already. Some will look at Lorenzo Taliaferro's stats (15/58/1) and think that he had a good game on the surface, but a majority of his touches came from garbage time as the Panthers fell behind fast. Don't be fooled. Forsett is the guy you want.

Bishop Sankey - Tennessee (Yahoo Owned 56%/ESPN Owned 92%)

Shonn Greene continues to start and took most of the work, along with Dexter McCluster, in the first half against the Colts, but Sankey come on strong in the second with 34 carries and a touchdown. Sankey will continue to ride the pine until he can get his footwork down, but it's clear Greene can't keep a majority of the carries forever. He only ran for 10 yards on 3 against Indy. Greene was never the answer as a starter in the first place, but Sankey's slow progression has killed much of his momentum. He's a grab and stash player for when he can finally put all the pieces together. He's the most talented of all 3 players.

Andre Williams - N.Y. Giants (Yahoo Owned 15%/ESPN Owned 30.2%)

With Rashad Jennings resting in a blowout win against the Redskins Thursday night, Williams took the rock 15 times for 66 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Williams will never be a starting option as long as Jennings stays healthy, but health was really never Jennings' strong suit. Especially for how much work he is seeing in the backfield through the first quarter of the season. Jennings owner or not, Williams makes for an excellent stash option should Jennings wind up missing time.

Knile Davis - Kansas City (Yahoo Owned 78.8%/ESPN Owned 67%)

Owners are asking themselves what Davis' role is in the Chiefs' offense after running for 107 yards on 16 carries against the Patriots Monday night. The thing owners don't know, or those who didn't watch the game, was Davis got most of his work because A.Jamaal Charles was dealing with cramps and needed an IV. B. Davis got most of his work when the score simply got out of hand. Charles still blew up after racking up 3 total touchdowns, so expect him to be "the" back in the backfield. Davis is still a must-own handcuff for JC owners, but don't expect to see him continue to be a stand-alone option.

Darrin Reaves - Carolina (Yahoo Owned 22%/ESPN Owned 28.1%)

A virtual unknown due to the depth chart, Reaves gets his shot to prove his worth as the Panthers are decimated at the running back position. Reaves caught 3 passes for 11 yards and also ran for another 26 last week against the Ravens. There is a bit of desperation here as the Panthers rushing attack is averaging only 71 total yards a game, with a 3.1 ypc average. Pick Reaves up ONLY if you absolutely have to. The Panthers face the middle-of-the-road Bears rushing defense in Week 5.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Eddie Royal - San Diego (Yahoo Owned 22%/ESPN Owned 28.1%)

Royal has been one of San Diego's top scoring options over the last 2 weeks, with 4 total touchdowns. One thing that has always scared me about Royal, however, is that when I list him as a pickup option, he fails to produce the following week. But I can't resist as he's been taking much of the workload in the passing game after Danny Woodhead was shut down. A WR3 talent, you could do worse than play Royal against the Jets in Week 5. Lets hope he continues this trend.

Jarius Wright - Minnesota (Yahoo Owned 1%/ESPN Owned .2%)

Wright is more of a "keep an eye on me" guy as he was quiet through the first 3 games of the season and has barely done anything in his career. A fluke game against the Falcons, Wright caught 8-of-10 targets for 132 yards. Could this have anything to do with Bridgewater starting? Possibly, but I'd like to give Wright another outing to prove he is the real deal.

Marvin Jones - Cincinnati (Yahoo Owned 15%/ESPN Owned .9%)

Jones was set for a breakout season before a broken foot back in early August derailed him up until this point. Jones finished 2013 with only 51 catches, but scored a whopping 10 touchdowns while playing second fiddle to A.J. Green. Mohamed Sanu has been an adequate replacement, but has been quiet outside of his 3/84/1 Week 2 game against the Falcons. Jones and Sanu will likely rotate this week against the Patriots, but expect Jones to eventually take his starting job back. He is a must-own option across all league formats.

TIGHT ENDS

Larry Donnell - N.Y. Giants (Yahoo Owned 55%/ESPN Owned 26.7%)

Many owners will either win or lose thanks to Donnell's 3 touchdown performance against the Redskins Thursday night. While that type of endzone work won't happen again, Donnell is showing he is worth TE1 value with 25 catches so far on the season. His owned numbers should climb after this week, so pick him up before it's too late.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins - Tampa Bay (Yahoo Owned 0%/ESPN Owned 0%)

Having missed the last 2 games due to a foot injury, the high second-rounder ASJ asserted himself back on the playing field, having played every snap over Brandon Myers in the comeback win over the Steelers. While Seferian-Jenkins only caught 3 passes for 44 yards, it should be a sign of things to come as ASJ is clearly more athletic than the "catch and fall" Meyers. A mere TE2 for now, Seferian-Jenkins could find his value climbing. Especially if it turns out that Mike Evans' groin injury is severe.

Clay Harbor - Jacksonville (Yahoo Owned 0%/ESPN Owned 0%)

They always say the tight end is the quarterback's safety net. No one showed that more than Harbor, who caught all 8 of his targets for 69 yards Sunday against the Chargers. Marcedes Lewis is out for the next few weeks with a high ankle sprain, so consider Harbor a mid-tier TE2 with little upside.

Jordan Reed - Washington (Yahoo Owned 44%/ESPN Owned 54.8%)

Having missed the last few weeks due to a hamstring injury, Reed reportedly did some individual work in Tuesday's practice. Niles Paul is not practicing due to a concussion. And despite his effective play as the team's alternate starting tight end, there was never a question that Reed would start again once healthy. The team could hold Reed out for Week 5 against the Seahawks, but there is a better than 50-50 shot he will be good to go in Week 6 against the Cardinals. If he's on the wire, pick him up.

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